Hitler portrait tops box office in Germany

It may be a chilling reminder of the darkest period of their country's history but Germans are flocking to see a new film depicting Adolf Hitler's final days in power.

It may be a chilling reminder of the darkest period of their country's history but Germans are flocking to see a new film depicting Adolf Hitler's final days in power.

Der Untergang (The Downfall), which stars Bruno Ganz as the Nazi leader, has leapt to the top of the German box office with almost half a million tickets sold in its opening weekend. It pulled in 480,000 viewers in its first four days despite poor reviews.

The film, which depicts a softer side to Hitler, who is shown kissing his wife Eva, is told from the point of view of Traudl Junge, one of Hitler's secretaries in the Berlin bunker.